Tunisia shifts first false news offence from prison to fines
An amendment to Decree 54 sets fines of 10,000 to 20,000 dinars for first-time offences, while repeat offenders may still face jail.
Tunisia has replaced a five-year prison sentence with fines of 10,000 to 20,000 dinars for first-time false news offences under an amendment to Decree 54, effective 30 September. Repeat offenders may still face imprisonment.
Issued in 2022, Decree 54 criminalises certain electronic communications deemed false or harmful. The government says it protects people and public order and helps counter online crime.
Rights advocates say the amendment leaves the decree’s repressive character intact and have called for its repeal. Said Benarbia of the International Commission of Jurists described the penalty reduction as a positive development, while calling for an end to prosecutions they consider abusive and the release of people arbitrarily detained under the decree.
The National Syndicate of Tunisian Journalists reported six prosecutions of journalists under the decree between April 2025 and April 2026. The union and civil society groups have pressed for the decree to be scrapped, with journalists’ representatives arguing that cases should instead be handled under Tunisia’s 2011 press freedom law.
The amendment followed sustained criticism of the decree. Al Jazeera’s report also cited protests and international pressure as possible context for the change, but provided no official explanation of the government’s timing.
